Wild Pitch
by Paulina Ann
Summary: HB: Next in my story arc after "Retribution." On a much lighter note, the boys go into baseball season in high school, but even there they find a mystery to solve. Story following directly after "Retribution" and is referenced here. Frank and Joe are the main characters but the usual crew shows up in the story as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Wild Pitch**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters. OCs are mine.

 **Thanks to my Editor:** Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. The corrections were a bonus and not required when I asked for her assistance, so I take full blame for any typos. Thanks Wendylouwho10 for making my story better!

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Setting is AU. Frank is 18 and Joe is 17. Sequel to "Retribution." Timeline: (Younger Hardys) Cheaters Never Prosper, Fall Thievery, Valentine Dilemma, (16/17 year old Hardys) Taken, Recovery, (17/18) Retribution, and now Wild Pitch.

 **Author's Notes:** Well, I'm back! Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Joe was unusually quiet as he rode with Frank in the van to school. Frank supposed that even though Joe was quieter than normal, today wasn't normal anyway. It was Joe's first day back at school after someone had tried to kill him yet again. Frank wondered if Joe was using up all his 'nine lives' in this one 365 day time period. His hands tensed and rotated slightly on the steering wheel at the thought. It was ridiculous of course. People didn't have nine lives but he counted them anyway… One: beach on Lake Superior, July. Two: Shore Road, December. Three: their own house, days later. Four: Whitaker's State Park, March. They were four opportunities where one thing happening differently would have left him without Joe. Frank glanced at his brother's profile again. _Just one thing different_ , ran through his mind and his blood practically chilled.

As if sensing his brother's thoughts, Joe looked over to his brother and frowned. "Something wrong, Frank?"

"No, just thinking."

"Well, whatever you're thinking, think something else. You're frowning," Joe said as he reached down to grab his book bag from the floor.

Frank turned smoothly into the school parking lot and pulled into an empty space. They were a little earlier than usual. He had wanted to give Joe a chance to get to class without the full-on rush that happened in the halls when the bell was about to ring.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. Ready for the stares. Ready for the whispered comments." Joe turned with a genuine smile on his face to his brother. "It can't be worse than it was in September." He paused, "or January."

Frank smiled back. "Guess not."

As the brothers walked up to the student entrance they saw Chet, Iola, and Callie waiting for them.

"Ready?" Iola asked as she took Joe's arm.

Both Frank and Joe laughed. "Tell you later," Joe whispered to a confused Iola.

Frank watched his brother and Iola. He had been worried that Joe would push Iola away yet again after what had had happened over the weekend. But Joe hadn't done that at all. In fact, when Iola came to see him when they returned home, he had pulled her into a tight hug and whispered, "It's finally over," loud enough for Frank to hear. As they walked into the building, Frank prayed that Joe's drama was indeed finally over.

As the group parted before the morning bell, it looked like the day would be a good one. There were the expected stares and whispered comments, but nothing that wasn't expected. So when lunch rolled around without any incidents, the group was hopeful the trend would continue but it wasn't to be.

"Uh-oh," Chet whispered as he looked at a place behind Joe and Iola. "Hal." It was all he had to say for Frank to know that this wouldn't be good.

Frank watched Hal, Jason, and Cale approach Joe from behind. "I'll take-"

"No," Joe said as he shook his head. "I'll take care of this." With that he stood up and turned around and took a few steps to intercept the three teens before they got to the Hardys' table.

Unable to hear what was said bothered Frank, especially when the trio glanced at him and then walked away. When Joe sat back down, Frank leaned across the table and asked, "What did you say to them?"

"I told them I'd talk to them later." Joe shrugged. "I didn't want a scene in here."

Frank looked at his brother and didn't see any evidence of subterfuge. He nodded and watched as Joe went back to his lunch and talking with Iola. This afternoon was the last day of baseball tryouts and Joe had the okay from the doctor to participate as long as the trainer was there to approve or disapprove any activity that might open the ten stitches in his side. Hal and his friends would most certainly find a way to corner him there. Frank was glad that he had done his try-out yesterday so that he could just keep an eye on Joe today. Hopefully there wouldn't be any problems.

.**********.

Joe leaned up against the wall in the locker room. He was already dressed in a long-sleeve tee and long baseball pants with his cleats already on. Many of the guys glanced his way as they exited toward the field. He just smiled and gave them a wave. Looking across the room, he could see Hal, Jason, and Cale. Cale Parsons was Jason's cousin who didn't get a spot on the football team in the fall. Jason and Hal had nursed a grudge the whole season believing that Joe had received preferential treatment and got the spot on the team that Cale should have had. Both Hal and Cale were trying out for baseball. Jason was just there to be an intimidator as he had no interest in baseball. Finally, the room was empty except for the four of them. Joe pushed off from the wall and took a step away from it as the trio approached him.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Joe asked politely. "You obviously can't believe that I'm taking a spot that you or Cale deserve since I'm officially trying out this time."

Hal stopped about three feet in front of Joe. They were about the same height and weight but the similarities stopped there for the most part. Crossing his arms, he looked Joe up and down. "I don't see what the big deal is. Word is that you were shot and stabbed over the weekend. Doesn't look like it to me. Does it look like it to you, Jason?"

"No. No it doesn't. Sounds like he's just trying to get out of having to do all the tryout activities. Maybe even get a little sympathy."

Joe couldn't stop his hands from clenching at his sides. Hal and Jason really knew how to tick him off. "Well, I'll tell you that your story isn't all the way correct. I'll set you straight so you don't go spreading false information. I was shot, but not stabbed although I do have stitches from a cut.

"Show me," said Hal.

"I don't need to 'show' you anything," Joe said and moved toward the door but Hal stepped in front and blocked his way.

"Show us and you can go," Hal said in a friendly manner that belied the threat in his words.

"No."

"Jason," Hal said and the teen stepped up beside Hal. "Then I think we'll look for ourselves."

Joe tensed for a moment. Then he caught movement at the door and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. He just relaxed as Hal pushed him back to the wall. Hal's right forearm was across Joe's chest pinning him. Joe let out a breath as his back hit the wall.

"Where?" Hal asked.

It was hard for Joe not to look at his brother in the doorway, but he knew that a glance in that direction would certainly turn Hal that way. Not too long ago he had teased Frank about his stealth skills, but he had to admit, that his brother was correct. He wasn't heard unless he wanted to be.

"Don't make me ask again, Joe," Hal said.

Joe carefully raised his left hand out to his side and then up to his head, his eyes never leaving Hal's face. He turned his head slowly and ran his fingers through his hair that had grown rather long over the last couple of months. His fingers found the line of stitches that ran four inches across his scalp. Parting his hair away from the wound, he lifted his hair. As he felt the pressure on his chest relax, he let his hair drop and he turned back to face Hal. "Seen enough or do you want me to show you the cut in my side?" Irritation and anger colored his tone.

Hal backed up."No. We've seen enough."

"Good, cause I'm done," Joe said as he walked past Hal their shoulders bumping one another.

It was at this point that the trio turned to watch Joe leave and saw Frank in the doorway.

Joe walked past Frank without saying a word.

Frank had planned to be at the locker room right after school, but his last period's teacher had kept him after class to clarify some answers on an assignment. When he showed up at the locker room, it took everything in him not to bust in and beat the crap out of Hal when he pushed Joe against the wall. It was only Joe's look and nod that kept him from entering. That and the fact that Hal could never have held Joe against the wall unless Joe allowed it. Back when Joe had been recovering from Laird's captivity, Frank had told Joe that he had been suspended after going 'Joe Hardy' on Hal. Joe had jokingly responded that Frank must have won because Hal could never beat Joe Hardy in a fight. As he watched his brother show his scalp and stitches, he knew that Joe was right. Even with three of them there, Joe could have done them serious damage.

Frank had been leaning against the frame but once Joe walked out, he straightened. He hadn't done anything because Joe had indicated he didn't want Frank to. Now Joe was gone and Frank was going to let Hal know how he felt.

"Here to protect your little brother, Frank?" Hal asked.

"If he needed it, but most likely I'd need to pull him off of you so he didn't do you serious damage."

Cale spread his arms. "Well, as you can see. Everything's fine here."

"Yeah, it's fine now." Frank took a step into the locker room and lowered his voice. "But just know if I see you harassing him again, I won't stand by next time."

"Understood," Hal said as he walked past Frank. "I've got try-outs to get to." Cale and Jason followed.

Frank shook his head and turned to follow them out to the field. He'd find out from Joe what that was all about later.

.**********.

Two hours later Frank and Joe got into the van. Joe was still in his sweaty clothes. He had told Frank he didn't want to shower in the locker room yet because of the obvious stitches in his side. They would eventually dissolve but not for several days.

As Joe buckled his seatbelt, he knew that Frank was sitting and waiting. When the belt clicked, he looked to his brother. "Hal wasn't going to let it go. The only way to shut him up was to give him what he wanted."

"You didn't have to do that," Frank said quietly.

Joe shook his head no. "No. I didn't. However, I don't think that Hal will be telling anyone that it's made up. The expression on his face told me that those stitches were more than he expected."

"He shouldn't have needed to see them," Frank said with irritation.

Smiling at his brother, Joe said, "He shouldn't but he did and hopefully that will be the end of that." Seeing Frank's frown, Joe added, "I'm not saying he still won't be a jerk. I'm just saying that he won't make comments about the wounds not being real."

Frank nodded and started the van.

"And thanks."

Frank's hand paused on the gearshift. "For what?"

"For trusting me. For not coming in and going Kung Fu on them for what they were doing." Joe watched as the muscle in Frank's jaw clenched and he shifted the van into reverse with a little more force than was necessary.

"It wasn't easy," Frank said as he looked into the mirrors and backed the van out of the parking space. "If I hadn't caught your nod, Kung Fu _would_ have been all over them. But I had it on good authority that Hal Rooker could never take Joe Hardy in a fight. "

Joe cracked a smile. "That would be correct. But even Joe Hardy would have a problem with three on one and sporting injuries."

Frank was smiling as he pulled out onto the highway. "I would have still bet on you, little brother."

Joe leaned back in his seat and smiled. Knowing that Frank trusted him and his judgment meant all the world to him. But he knew that Frank had his back and most likely had said something to the three Musketeers. "And what did you say to them after I left?"

"Who says I said anything?" Frank innocently asked with a smile.

"Me. Because Hal pushed me against the wall. You might have given me my chance to take care of things, but I know you, Frank. There's no way you would let that go." Joe was smiling as he said it.

Frank shrugged. "I just told Hal that I wouldn't be standing back if he decided to lay a finger on you again."

Joe chuckled. "Hal has no idea the fire he's playing with. Having Frank _and_ Joe Hardy after you would be a nightmare."

Frank started laughing and said, "Hal's just lucky it was me and not mom!"

Groaning, Joe let his head hit the headrest. "Please save me from that! Hal would NEVER let me live it down."

"I doubt Hal would say anything because mom would wipe the floor with him," Frank said between laughs.

"That's true. Still, not something I want to happen," Joe responded and then turned slightly red. "Um, you know I asked mom to show me some of the moves she's learned."

Frank's head snapped to the side. "No! Really? Why haven't you asked me to show you some moves?"

"Well, when it's not a threat anymore for my stitches to rip open, I'd like to spar with you a little. If you know what you've taught me, I can't surprise you," Joe said with a smile.

"Ahhhh, you think that you can surprise me with your MMA moves do you?"

Joe laughed. "Well, not completely. You know I'm more of a boxing or wrestling guy. Those kicks and chops aren't really my thing, but mom tells me I'm not bad at doing submission holds."

Frank couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You've put mom into submission holds? Don't let Hal hear about that!"

Joe was beet red. "No! Not mom! Dad! I put dad in the holds! Geez, Frank!"

"Dad?" Frank's laughter stopped. "You put dad in the holds?"

Joe knew that Frank was impressed. Putting Fenton Hardy in a submission hold wasn't an easy thing. "I've only done it once. The other times he allowed me to do it for practice."

"Just how long has this been going on?"

"Beginning of February I guess."

"Six weeks and you didn't tell me? Mom and dad didn't tell me? I'm feeling kinda left out," Frank joked.

"Yeah, well, things were put on hold several times as dad worked on the Rachel Rand case. It's not like it's been six weeks of training."

"But you feel like you're at a point where you want to take me on?" Frank asked with a smile.

"Yeah, in a few weeks once the wounds heal some."

"Definitely," Frank responded. "We'll let mom decide when you're ready. I'm not sparring with you until she gives us the go ahead."

"Deal," Joe said with a smile. Overall, it wasn't a bad first day back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters. OCs are mine.

 **Thanks to my Editor:** Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. The corrections were a bonus and not required when I asked for her assistance, so I take full blame for any typos. Thanks Wendylouwho10 for making my story better!

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Setting is AU. Frank is 18 and Joe is 17. Sequel to "Retribution." Timeline: (Younger Hardys) Cheaters Never Prosper, Fall Thievery, Valentine Dilemma, (16/17 year old Hardys) Taken, Recovery, (17/18) Retribution, and now Wild Pitch.

 **Author's Notes:** Well, the reviews section is doing weird things. I get the emails saying that I have a review and can read them in the email, but they don't show up in the review section of the story. Also, for those that I can PM from your reviews, the link doesn't work! And now I've deleted the emails thinking that the reviews would show up, but they haven't. So when they do finally show up, I'll send you a note. ;-D But don't let this dissuade you from reviewing! I still get the emails and can read them! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 _Friday morning outside Coach Daimler's office…_

Frank and Joe looked over the baseball team roster. For all the technology that was out there, Coach Daimler always chose to post the team information on the wall outside his door. Both of the Hardys smiled as they turned away. Both were on the team along with Biff and Phil who had also tried out. Joe had noticed that both Hal and Cale had made the team as well. It would be another round of fun away games riding the team bus. But he'd be okay. He could handle Hal and Cale; plus, Frank would be there.

 _Monday and the first day of baseball practice…_

Frank and Joe dressed out and headed onto the field with friends and teammates. Neither was tutoring now. Frank was taking a break for the rest of the year and Joe had never gone back after his hospital stay in December. Mrs. Carter had been very sad to lose two good tutors, but she understood that the Hardy brothers had been through a lot during the school year. She had managed to get Joe to consider tutoring his senior year.

The boys headed over to the dugout where Coach Daimler was waiting. Once the team had assembled, he motioned for a young, dark-haired young man to come stand next to him. "I'd like to introduce everyone to Bradford Maier. As you all know, Todd, our physical trainer for the last two years needed to take a leave of absence to help his mother who lives out of state. We're very pleased to have found Mr. Maier to replace him for baseball season. Mr. Maier comes to us with two years of being a trainer with Brewster's Triple A team. He'll be working on the strength training and nutrition for the team."

Frank and Joe looked at eat other and Joe mouthed, 'nutrition?' Frank shrugged.

"I'm sure that many of you are surprised at the nutrition aspect of the training," Daimler continued. "However, it's a part of an athlete's life that we too often neglect at the high school level. Everyone will have an individual meeting with Bradford once we have stats on each of you. Now, everyone break into the stations that you were assigned in the locker room."

Frank moved off toward the practice mound where the pitchers were gathering while Joe went in the field to the short stop position. Coach Daimler would be hitting ground balls to the infield players. Joe didn't have a lot of time to think about Bradford and the nutrition 'training' he'd be getting.

 _A week later…_

Frank and Joe were in the last round of individual meeting with Maier who would finish with everyone today. Joe's meeting was first and he went into Coach Daimler's office and sat in a chair across from the desk. Maier had papers laid out on the table in front him and a basket of bottles on the desk. Joe couldn't help but fidget. He hated sitting like this; he felt almost like he was being interrogated.

"So, Joe. Looking at the physicals you have on file and from what Coach Daimler told me, you've had a rough year physically."

"Yeah, you could say that," Joe replied and shifted in his seat.

"I think your current plan in the weight room is sufficient as you've obviously been in shape to do the things you've done."

Joe looked up from where he was looking at the papers on the desk to Maier's face. "Um, yeah. I'm good with that."

Maier reached over in the basket and pulled out a bottle of vitamin supplements. He tossed them over to Joe. "I'd like you to take one of those a day. As you can see they're just vitamins that you can get over the counter. I've picked out the kind that I want each player to take."

Joe looked at the bottle and saw that Maier had written his name on them. "So everyone's not taking the same thing?"

"No. Some people take better care of their health than others and so I selected the supplements accordingly."

It sounded fine to Joe. "Okay, I'll give it a try. Mom and dad read the brochure you mailed out about the different formulas. They were fine with it too." Joe looked up from the bottle. "How did you manage to get these? I know they're not a cheap brand."

Bradford smiled at Joe. "I worked it out with the nutrition supplier that we used for the Brewster team. They gave us a huge break on the price in hopes that you fellas will like them and want to buy them on your own after the season. Then I wrote up a request for the PTO and the Booster Club and between the two of them, they paid the cost." Bradford looked at his watch. "That does it," Maier said as he stood up. "Time to bring in the next player." He consulted his list. "Would you have Frank come in next?"

"Sure," Joe replied as he stood. He was glad to be leaving. "I'll send him in." When Joe exited the room, he called for his brother to go in.

"Anything unusual?" Frank asked as he went by.

Joe just smiled and held up the vitamins. "Nothing that different than the other guys."

Frank took a passing glance at the bottle and headed into the office. Hopefully his visit would be similar to Joe's. Most of the team had been given vitamin supplements and a few were asked to make pretty substantial changes to their diet. Frank wasn't expecting any more than Joe and he wasn't surprised when Maier provided him with some supplements. The trainer didn't suggest any diet changes but did make some suggestions for the strength training for his pitching arm.

After getting in the van after practice, Joe queried his brother. "So, did Maier make any changes to your diet?"

"No, just gave me some supplements too. He made some good suggestions about strength training for my arm though."

"Do you think it's weird that he's having us take vitamins?"

Frank smiled as Joe drove the van out of the lot. "I've looked at the bottle. They're nothing more than what you can get at a nutrition store in the mall. It's primarily vitamins. Nothing dangerous."

"Yeah, well. You just hear bad things about athletes taking supplements."

"Well, you agreed to take them too. Did you ask him about it?"

Joe shrugged his shoulder but kept his hands on the wheel. "No. I guess I've just been thinking more about it since he gave them to me. Plus, you're the one who the scouts will be coming out to see." Joe glanced over to his brother. "I don't want this to jeopardize anything."

Frank smiled some more as he settled into the seat. It was funny having Joe worry about him for a change. For almost the last year, their roles had been reversed. "Well, they're not steroids and Dad already said the company's sound. Plus I already have my scholarship to Bayport College. They can't take it away now," he said with a smile.

"I didn't say they were steroids!" Joe huffed. "I'm just being cautious. This guy is new; we don't know him."

"I'm sure he went through a very thorough employment process. But I'll check out the supplement online if it'll make you happy although I'm sure Dad already did."

Joe settled and shot a smile at his brother. "Well yes, it will make me happy."

"Then all is right with the world," Frank laughed.

.*********.

That evening Frank looked up the supplements online- nothing unusual or dangerous… FDA approval… quite a few customer recommendations. Frank picked up his bottle and opened it. The seal was intact. Frank stood and made his way toward his brother's room, tossing his brother's bottle in the air and catching it with one hand. "Hey, Joe," Frank called out.

"Yeah?" Joe said and moved to the connecting bathroom.

Frank tossed the supplements to his brother. "Everything checks out. Dad looked at both our bottles earlier. They're just vitamins."

Joe looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"And the seal is still intact on both of them."

Joe smiled as he tossed the bottle in the air. "Thanks."

"I find your concern to be touching, little brother," Frank said dramatically.

Joe laughed and said, "Just returning the favor."

.**********.

Tuesday of the following week found BHS (Bayport High School) having its first home baseball game. Joe looked in the stands and found Callie and waved to her. Shortly thereafter Karen Mason (Biff's girlfriend) joined her on the bleachers. Chet and Madison were at the softball field on the other side of the school as Iola was on the girls' team and the games occurred at the same time. It was a bummer that they couldn't watch each other play but there was a positive as the girls' and boys' teams rode the same bus for away games. But even without Iola here, he was stoked for the game. Frank was to be the starting pitcher and he'd be the catcher. It was exactly how he wanted the year to end: he and Frank playing on the same team.

"Good luck!" Callie called out and Frank turned and waved at her.

The starting line-ups were introduced and the national anthem sung. Frank headed to mound while Joe took his place behind home plate. Before he pulled down his mask, he introduced himself to the umpire. It never hurt to be polite he thought as he squatted down.

Frank threw a few pitches to warm up and then the game began. Frank struck out the first two batters and the third was out on a pop fly to centerfield. Joe patted Frank on the back as they headed into the dugout. Joe pulled off his gear as soon as they were inside. He batted second in the lineup and Frank batted fifth. It would be great if Frank got to bat this inning but they'd have to wait and see. Grabbing his batting helmet, Joe went out to the on-deck circle.

He would have to admit that his mind wasn't completely on the game right now. It was less than a month since he had been on a life and death hunt with Marilyn Laird. At that time, baseball season seemed far away. And now here it was. He absentmindedly swung the bat up and over his shoulder.

"Hardy!"

Snapped out of his daydreaming, Joe looked to see Coach Daimler pointing to the plate. He was up. He tried to focus but his mind wasn't back on the game yet. He took a strike and then swung at two pitches he shouldn't have, striking out. Joe pulled off his helmet as he walked back to his team. Propping the bat against the wall he turned to find Frank when Hal's voice sounded from nearby.

"Maybe coach should rethink the batting order," Hal said with a smile.

Joe scowled at him but didn't comment as he found a seat by Frank on the bench.

"Don't let him get to you," Frank said as he took a drink from the sports beverage he held in his hand.

"I won't," Joe replied as he looked at the container. Usually they just had a big container of the drink and they used paper cups to get something from it as needed. Maybe not the most eco-friendly method, but it was what they had done in the past. He looked over to the large container and saw players with the paper cups getting drinks. Turning back to his brother, he asked, "What's with your personal bottle?" He looked a little closer. "With your name on it no less."

Frank laughed. "It's just written in a sharpie, Joe." Frank turned the bottle to Joe and added, "You'll see this is the premium version of the drink with all sorts of 'extras' to enhance sports' performance. Maier said he wanted all the pitching staff to drink it."

Joe couldn't think of anything to counter it. There wasn't anything wrong with drinking that beverage. He shrugged. He needed to stop being so suspicious. As it was, there wasn't any more time to think on it as Bayport had three outs and they were back on the field. Joe had to hurry to put back on his gear and was the last player on the team out. Seeing the frown on the umpire's face, he knew that he needed to get his mind back in the game.

.**********.

 _Top of the sixth inning with the score 3-2 and Bayport ahead…_

Frank felt a small headache forming behind his right eye. It was really annoying and wasn't helping him concentrate. He looked at the signs that Joe was giving him for pitches and he shook off three. Frank could almost feel Joe's frustration from sixty feet away. Finally Joe gave Frank the sign he wanted- fastball, high and inside. Frank went into his motion and as he released the ball he knew it was a bad throw. The batter barely got out of the way and then he began to make angry gestures toward Frank. The umpire and the coach both came out to calm him down.

Frank watched as Joe came up to the mound to bring him another ball. "What's up, Frank?"

"Nothing. It just slipped as I threw it." He knew his tone sounded defensive.

Placing the ball in his brother's hand, Joe nodded.

Frank breathed a sigh of relief. The batter was back in the batter's box and Joe was back in position. Things seemed to fall back in place as Frank struck the batter out. Things didn't go so well with the next batter who hit a double to right field. The third batter hit a high fly ball deep into centerfield. The ball was deep enough that the runner advanced to third.

As the next batter came to the plate, Joe and Daimler walked out to the mound.

"How are you doing, Frank?" Daimler asked.

"I'm fine. I just have a small headache."

Daimler looked at Frank seriously. "Do you need to come out?"

Frank knew that Daimler didn't want to take him out. "It's one out. I can do it."

Daimler looked to Joe who nodded his approval. "Okay. Get us out of the inning, Frank."

 _Breathe_ , Frank told himself as he stepped to the mound. He looked at the runner on third. It was the go-ahead run and whether he pitched to this batter or not, that runner was his responsibility. He wanted to get the out and keep the lead for Bayport. It took all of Frank's concentration, but he got two strikes on the batter. Just one more, he told himself. Frank went through his motion and released the ball. Immediately he knew it was on the wrong trajectory. "No," he said as he ran for home plate.

The ball sailed high over Joe's head as he reached futilely for it. Joe snatched his mask off and jumped up to locate the ball. Joe's cleats tore into the dirt as he ran to the backstop and scooped up the ball. Turning and throwing in a single motion he threw to the spot he knew his brother would be at.

Frank was on the third base side of the plate with his glove outstretched. When the ball hit his glove he spun to tag the runner and took the brunt of the player in full stride as he tried to get to home plate. But even as Frank fell to the ground and the runner toppled over him to land on home plate, he didn't drop the ball.

"Out!" yelled the umpire.

Joe and several players ran over to Frank as he lay on the ground. "Are you okay?" Joe asked as he looked at Frank.

"Yeah. I'm all right as long as that umpire said 'out.'"

"He did say 'out.'" Joe said with a smile and helped his brother up.

As they made their way to the dugout, Daimler said, "I'm putting Ross in. You're done for the day."

Frank nodded. There was no anger in the coach's words and Frank knew it would happen. He made too many slip-ups that inning and he had pitched six complete innings.

Joe didn't have time to talk as he was batting first in the bottom of the sixth. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

With a last searching look, Joe headed out to bat. Exeter's pitcher had pitched the whole game but had given up a couple of hits in the last inning. Joe was hoping to get more than a hit. Joe took three pitches- two balls and a strike. He noted their location and the speed they were thrown at. When the fourth pitch came his way he stepped into it with everything he had and the ball hit the bat right on the sweet spot. The crack of the ball and bat was pretty loud but Joe only had eyes to watch the ball as it sailed toward left field. His feet were running toward first, but his eyes strayed to the ball as it went deep into left. Then with a shriek, he jumped in the air as the ball went over the fence. Bayport was now up 4-2. As Joe rounded third, he saw Exeter's coach motioning to the dugout for a new pitcher. Joe smiled broadly as he saw Frank, Biff, and Phil waiting for him at home plate. After giving his brother a high five, the quartet went back to the dugout where Joe could only smile at Hal who would be up in a couple of batters.

Joe wanted to ask Frank about what had happened, but the rest of the game there was too much going on in the dugout and then everyone was in the shower. Finally, as the brothers left the school to go eat with their friends at Prito's Joe finally got to ask his brother what was up.

"I don't know. I just had this pain behind my right eye. Made it hard to concentrate."

"Do you still have it?"

"No, it went away after I had my shower." Frank shook his head. "Thanks for bailing me out. I would have let the tying run score. Who knows what would have happened then."

"Yeah, well, you'd do the same for me."

Frank smiled and then changed the subject to Iola and the catch that she made to get the final out of the game giving the girls a win. Joe was all too happy to talk about his girlfriend and Frank was happy to hear him talk. Hopefully, what happened with the headache was just an aberration and not something that would reoccur.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters. OCs are mine.

 **Thanks to my Editor:** Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. The corrections were a bonus and not required when I asked for her assistance, so I take full blame for any typos. Thanks Wendylouwho10 for making my story better!

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Setting is AU. Frank is 18 and Joe is 17. Sequel to "Retribution." Timeline: (Younger Hardys) Cheaters Never Prosper, Fall Thievery, Valentine Dilemma, (16/17 year old Hardys) Taken, Recovery, (17/18) Retribution, and now Wild Pitch.

 **Author's Notes:** Well, the reviews section is now fixed. Yea! Now AV wondered if this is a Frank whump story. I kinda have my own definition of whump and what I've done to Joe in the last three stories goes with my definition. Frank won't be getting that kind of whump. But he is a little more the focus of this story. But to me a good "Joe story" usually has Frank in it. Hope everyone continues to enjoy my Hardy baseball fic. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews.

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

The boys glossed over the incident at the ballgame to their parents. Thankfully, their parents hadn't been able to attend the game due to other commitments but they were sure to be at most of the other games since it was Frank's last year. So things were great for Frank and Joe for the next couple of days as they readied for the next game. Frank didn't have any headaches and there were no problems at school or home. Friday night rolled around and it was an away game. Joe played shortstop while Frank was in the dugout. He wasn't scheduled to pitch this game but would come in as relief if needed.

 _Bottom of the 9_ _th_ _with Bayport in the lead 7-6 with runners on first and second and only one out…_

Daimler signaled the bullpen for Frank to come into the game.

Frank jogged up to the mound with Daimler. A sophomore named Lenny was catching and he came up to the mound as well.

"Two outs and two on base, Frank. See if you can keep us in the lead," Daimler said as he handed Frank the ball.

"Will do, Coach," Frank responded. Turning to Lenny, he told him the pitches he wanted to throw.

"You're sure you don't mind me catching?" Lenny asked as he looked over Frank's shoulder to Joe who was in his shortstop position.

Smiling at the nervous teen, Frank said, "I'll be playing baseball in college. I doubt Joe will be my catcher. We'll be fine."

Lenny smiled back.

Frank was proud to have gotten the baseball scholarship. While his parents could afford it, having a scholarship would make things easier on all of them with Joe going to college next year as well. Things were already set as Bayport College offered him the scholarship over the Christmas break and he had committed to going to Bayport College. Things had been hectic for the Hardys in the month of December and it wasn't a big deal at the time as they were all just happy that Joe was alive.

Frank threw a series of warm-up pitches and then it was time to face the batter. The headache of earlier in the week wasn't there and he felt clear-headed. Two outs later and the game was over.

Joe ran up to congratulate Frank. "Way to go!"

Frank smiled at his brother and the other players who were offering their congratulations as well. "Definitely felt better than I did at the end of that last game," Frank said to his brother as they walked off the field. "Maybe it was just a fluke."

"You don't sound so certain," Joe said as they neared the locker room.

"Yeah, well, if it doesn't happen again, we'll know it was just a fluke." _And if it does happen again_ , Frank thought to himself, _we'll know it wasn't a fluke_.

.**********.

The following Tuesday was another away game for Bayport but it was in their school district. Joe was catching for a boy named Gavin Reading. He was a junior and had a pretty good arm, but he usually could only do five solid innings. So he and Frank were usually paired together with Frank coming in to finish the game giving BHS a solid pitching game. Daimler would also use Frank in the occasional closer position for a game, but he usually used him for whole or half games. In the minors and the pros pitchers usually rested between three and five days between starts so it was no big deal for Frank to pitch each week.

It was the bottom of the fifth inning and Bayport was heading out onto the diamond. As Joe pulled on his mask, he looked over to the bullpen and saw his brother warming up. Hopefully, Gavin would make it through this inning but he was starting to wear down in the last one giving up two walks and a deep single to right field which gave East Chester the one run of the game. With his gear on, Joe walked up to the mound to check on Gavin who had seemed nervous in the dugout.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Gavin said as he glanced at the scoreboard.

Joe slapped him on the arm and said, "Don't worry about it. It's just one run. We've got time to score. You just get us through this inning."

Gavin gave Joe a sincere if weak smile as he said, "Yeah, I can get us through the inning and then Frank will shut them down."

"You already shut them down pretty good. Don't beat yourself up over it," Joe said as the umpire called for the inning to begin.

 _Two outs later with a runner on first…_

"Come on, you can do it," Joe whispered to himself. He could feel the loss of power in Gavin's pitches with each ball that struck his glove. One of East Chester's heavy hitters was coming to the plate and tapping the bat against his cleats. He swung the bat a couple of times and then stepped into the batter's box and got into his stance. Joe got in position and signaled a pitch. Gavin shook it off. Joe signaled another pitch that was accepted by Gavin. Just a few seconds later the ball hit Joe's glove as the bat swung through empty air.

"Strike one!" the umpire shouted.

The batter stepped out of the box and then back into it. This time Gavin accepted Joe's first pitch selection and this time the batter didn't swing.

"Strike two!"

The batter stepped out of the box for a longer time and Joe stood up to stretch until the batter came back. Back in his catcher's stance, Joe signaled a pitch. It was accepted. The ball came across the plate to connect with the bat. Joe stood quickly as the ball sailed high in the air. He let out a breath as the ball came down into Hal's glove giving Bayport the third out of the inning. As he jogged off the field, Joe knew it was one of those rare occasions when he was glad to have Hal on his team.

Upon entering the dugout he started taking off his gear. He would be batting this inning, just not first. As he was putting his gear to the side, he felt a hand on his back. He turned to find his brother. "Ready to pitch the next inning?" he asked his Frank.

"I'm ready," Frank said with a smile.

"Well, let me see if I can help get you into a better position on the scoreboard." Joe smiled as he moved to grab his bat and headed to the on deck circle. The batter before him got on base with a walk. As Joe stepped into the batter's box, he prayed that he wouldn't hit into a double play. As the first pitch came across the plate, Joe swung and connected. It was a ground ball hit through the gap between first and second. Joe ran across first just before the throw arrived to the first baseman. He was safe.

When the inning was complete, Bayport had gone ahead 2-1. Joe and the runner in front of him had both scored before the pitcher was removed from the game. The relief pitcher had gotten the final out putting Bayport back in the field and Frank on the mound.

 _Bottom of the sixth inning…_

Frank held the ball behind his back as he looked at the East Chester batter. He rotated the ball in his hand feeling the stitching. Finding the correct placement for his fingers, he brought the ball around to his glove pulling both in tight to his body. As his leg came up and he went into his motion, his arm pulled back and then he stepped forward bringing all of his energy into his throw. When the ball left his hand, he knew he was on his game.

"Strike one!"

Two pitches and two strikes later, the batter was out. Frank let a small smile play around the corners of his mouth. He felt great. The next batter grounded to first base where the baseman stepped on the bag getting the out. He then proceeded to throw the ball where it went around the horn and returned to Frank. _Four pitches and two outs_ , Frank thought as he tried to keep the smile off his face. The third batter went down swinging with two balls and three strikes.

Joe waited to pat Frank on the back as they walked to the dugout. "We'll have time to catch part of the girls' game if you pitch the rest of the game like that," Joe smiled broadly at him.

"I wouldn't go that far," Frank joked back as they sat down on the bench. He reached under the bench and pulled the special vitamin drink from under the bench.

Joe frowned at it for a moment and then dismissed it. Frank was doing fine. He drank this at the game on Friday and he was fine.

Frank and Joe cheered on their teammates as they batted. Bayport got two hits but didn't score any runs. Joe pulled on his cap and his catcher's mask as the team headed back onto the field. "You still feel fine?" Joe asked his brother.

"Never felt better," Frank replied as he jogged toward the mound.

After striking out the first batter in four pitches, Frank didn't feel so fine. The headache from the previous week seemed to be returning. Thankfully, the next batter hit a deep fly ball to right and was an easy out. As the third batter came to bat, Frank could feel the lightheadedness that marked the start of his bad pitching in last week's game returning. He needed to get this guy out quickly or he'd need to leave the game. After throwing three balls in a row, Joe jogged out to the mound.

Joe took one look at his brother and said, "It's happening again isn't it?"

"Yeah," Frank said regretfully. "But I can get him out-"

"What makes you say that? You feel awful and you've thrown three balls in a row."

Frank looked Joe in the eye. One motion from Joe would bring Daimler out to the mound. In fact, if they stayed here much longer he'd come out whether Joe signaled or not. "I'll try for strikes to the inside since they seem to be going wide. If they go a little off, I should still have a strike."

Joe nodded. "Okay. But if you hit a batter or throw wild-"

"Don't worry, I'll take myself out," Frank said with some irritation. The headache was starting to get to him.

Joe nodded once more and moved back to home plate.

The batter swung at the next pitch and then hit a foul. Three balls and two strikes was the count. Frank could feel his control slipping. He grabbed the chalk bag to dry his hands that had begun to sweat from the pressure he was feeling to get the out. As he straightened up, he had to take a step back to steady himself as his balance seemed to shift. He needed to get this guy out now. Stepping onto the rubber, he looked to Joe and nodded. There wasn't a signal from Joe as Joe already knew what Frank was throwing. Frank could barely stand back up straight after his throw. However, he did hear, "Strike three!" Frank gave up on standing up and put his hands on his knees to regain his balance.

Joe's face came into view as he squatted in front of his brother. "Frank!"

"I'm okay! I'm just off-balance," Frank said.

"Well, I'm going to get Maier to check you out just to be sure," Daimler said. Frank hadn't even seen him come up. However, he wasn't sure he wanted Maier anywhere near him but he knew the coach would overrule him.

"Sure, coach," Frank said.

"But, Frank-!" Joe began only to be silenced by a look from his brother.

Daimler didn't see the exchange as he was looking at the dugout but then his attention shifted back to the brothers. "Help your brother to the dugout, Joe." Looking to Frank, Daimler added, "I'm afraid you're done for the evening, Frank."

"It's okay, Coach. I understand."

As the brothers went over to the dugout, Frank said, "Get my water bottle."

"I'm not letting you drink anymore of that."

"I'm not going to drink it, Joe. We're going to have it tested."

Joe scanned the bench as they approached. "Now you're talking." He couldn't spot any bottles beneath the bench. "Where did you leave it, Frank?"

"Under the bench where we were sitting. You saw me."

Joe had a bad feeling as he left Frank at the end of the dugout with Maier and the first aid materials they had. Moving down the bench, Joe saw no bottles with Frank's name. He moved to the trashcan and saw Frank's bottle near the top. The lid was gone and it was empty. Checking the cooler, Joe didn't find any more of the bottles with Frank's name. He frowned. Things were looking more and more suspicious.

The game ended with Bayport on top 2-1. Thankfully, Bayport's relief pitcher held East Chester to just a couple of singles and no one scored. Frank sat out the game and as time went by, the headache went away. Between the innings, Frank had convinced his mother that he didn't need to leave and go home. He knew he'd have some explaining to do when they were home as the glossed-over game from the previous week would be brought back up. But that would be later.

On the ride back to Bayport, Frank and Joe didn't say anything. Too many ears to have the discussion they wanted to have. However, they shared a look and knew what the other was thinking. Someone was giving Frank something that was throwing him off his game.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters. OCs are mine.

 **Thanks to my Editor:** Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. The corrections were a bonus and not required when I asked for her assistance, so I take full blame for any typos. Thanks Wendylouwho10 for making my story better!

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Setting is AU. Frank is 18 and Joe is 17. Sequel to "Retribution." Timeline: (Younger Hardys) Cheaters Never Prosper, Fall Thievery, Valentine Dilemma, (16/17 year old Hardys) Taken, Recovery, (17/18) Retribution, and now Wild Pitch.

 **Author's Notes:** Well, the reviews section is now fixed. Yea! Now AV wondered if this is a Frank whump story. I kinda have my own definition of whump and what I've done to Joe in the last three stories goes with my definition. Frank won't be getting that kind of whump. But he is a little more the focus of this story. But to me a good "Joe story" usually has Frank in it. Hope everyone continues to enjoy my Hardy baseball fic. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews.

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

Frank and Joe sat quietly in the family living room. Even though they were tired from the game their parents had sat them down as soon as they got home. They wanted information about what happened at this game to Frank and what had happened at the game they had missed. The boys had provided them with the information they had and now they were waiting to hear what their parents thought.

Fenton looked at Frank. "Is there any reason you didn't tell us about this after the first game." The Hardys had received a call from the Coach after the game. But as nothing was wrong when Frank came home and both he and Joe acted like everything was fine, they had thought it was.

Even Frank's voice was tinged with doubt as he responded. "Um, we thought it was a fluke?"

As he crossed his arms over his chest, Fenton frowned at him and said, "Really."

"We thought it was strange but we didn't expect it to happen again," Joe said as he sat under his parents' scrutiny.

"Hmphf."

Laura looked at her husband and then over to the boys. "When it concerns your health, we expect to be told whether you think it's a fluke or not."

"Yes, mom," both boys responded in tandem.

Even Fenton couldn't hold back a small smile as he said, "I want both of you boys to bring me those supplements. You're not taking them anymore."

"Yes, sir," they replied.

"I'm going to have both of them tested." Looking at Frank he added, "And I don't want you drinking anymore of that bottled drink at the games."

"But it'll look weird if I don't drink it," Frank said.

"Frank, your health is more important than appearances," Laura said evenly.

"But if we are to have a chance at finding out what he's doing-" Frank started out but was interrupted by Joe.

"I know! We buy some of that same brand of water and smuggle it to the dugout and swap out with what Maier has. That way we have something to test," Joe said proudly.

Parents of most teenage boys wouldn't think that there would be someone trying to rig a high school baseball game, but most parents didn't have amateur detectives for sons. Fenton and Laura knew that the boys wouldn't be making up things and they knew better than to confront Maier without something more than what they had right now, which was basically Frank feeling ill and their gut feelings.

Fenton stoked his chin with the fingers of his right hand as he looked from his sons to his wife. "That sounds reasonable." Laura nodded.

"I'll go ahead and have the vitamins tested until we can get a sample of the beverage."

"I don't think you'll find anything with the supplements, dad. They were sealed and I've been taking them every day and had no side effects."

"Still," Fenton said, "I want to have them checked out. And just so you know, you can buy an induction sealer online that will seal bottles."

Frank and Joe both looked a little surprised at that. They hadn't thought that someone might tamper with the seal. "Whatever you say, dad," Frank replied.

"And you're going to see the doctor tomorrow, Frank. I want him to make sure you're all right," Laura added.

Frank knew better than to protest. After everything that had happened with Joe, his mother wasn't taking any chances with them.

"Yes, mom," Frank said meekly.

"Okay, off to bed with the both of you," Fenton instructed.

As Joe and Frank headed up the stairs, Joe said to Frank, "That wasn't so bad."

Smiling back at his brother, Frank said, "Yeah. And Dad is going to have the drink tested which is something we wouldn't be able to do."

Joe gave a worried glance to his brother as they stopped at their separate doors. "Just be careful, Frank. If Maier is doing something and he realizes that-"

"I'll be fine, Joe. What could happen on a baseball diamond?"

"I KNOW you didn't just ask that," Joe said incredulously.

"Phil and Biff can keep an eye on things in the dugout for us."

"When they're not on the field," Joe said with concern.

"Then I will just be careful."

Joe frowned at his brother. "Like that's ever made you feel better when I've said it."

Frank laughed. "That's just because you usually aren't careful." He shrugged. "You know me, careful is my middle name."

Joe wanted to come back with something witty or sarcastic, but he couldn't so he just shook his head and went into his room and Frank went into his.

.**********.

Wednesday morning Laura took Frank to the doctor while Joe went on to school. Fenton stayed home and began to do some research on Bradford Maier. There was nothing unusual in his record. Maier had nothing besides minor traffic tickets. The only curious thing was that he had left the Brewster Triple A team for no apparent reason. He was unemployed when Bayport High had hired him and the pay for a high school trainer wasn't much compared with what the Triple A team was paying him. Why he left the team would bear some checking out. Obviously Brewster had given him a decent reference since BHS hired him. Fenton leaned back in the chair and looked thoughtfully at the picture of Bradford Maier on the screen.

.**********.

"So you're fine?" Callie asked with concern.

Frank put a forkful of sweet potato casserole in his mouth and nodded. Once he had swallowed, he said, "Everything was fine. They took some blood and will do some blood work to see if anything is out of balance." When Joe didn't respond with a sarcastic comment, he knew his brother was taking this very seriously.

Iola looked from Frank to a very quiet Joe and put her hand on his arm.

Joe looked at Iola in surprise as if he hadn't heard anything. But now he was paying attention. "I'm going to need help keeping an eye on Frank at the games."

"Joe, I'm going to be on the mound and in the dugout with everyone. Everything should be fine," Frank said carefully, not liking how Joe was reacting to the situation. He was blowing it all out of proportion. Yeah, he had been light-headed and off his game but his health seemed to be fine and he wasn't going to take anything that Maier gave him anymore. It was just a matter of finding out what the man was up to and turning him over to the authorities if the situation warranted.

"Don't worry, Joe." Tony said as he pushed his plate away. "I'll sit on the opposite side and that way I can look across into the dugout."

"And I'll be down at the bullpen area to watch," Callie added. "You, Phil, and Biff can keep watch in the dugout during Bayport's batting innings."

Joe gave them a smile. "Thanks guys. I just want to make sure that nothing slips by, you know."

A chorus of affirmation followed, but Frank watched his brother still.

At the end of the day before Joe headed to the locker room to change for practice, Iola pulled him off to the side. Joe gave her a smile as he said, "You're going to be late for practice."

"A few minutes isn't going to hurt anything," she countered.

"Okay, so what is it?"

"Why does this thing with Frank have you so worried? It seems like everything is under control."

Joe focused on a spot over her shoulder as he responded. "I feel out of control."

"None of us have complete control of everything, Joe." She put her hand on his face and directed his gaze to her. "Don't let this get to you."

Joe gave her a half-hearted smile, "I'll try not to." After a quick hug they parted to go to their separate practices. As Joe changed, he thought about what he told Iola. It was true. He felt out of control. Not that he had been in control very much for almost a year. But then, almost all of that centered around him and the choices he made. This was different, he didn't feel like the choices were his to make and so the control was given to someone else. Joe closed up his locker and headed for the door that led to the field. The good thing was, the person who was making the choices was smart and careful. He was going to have to trust that Frank would make the right choices.

.**********.

Friday night was a home game for Bayport and Frank was the starting pitcher. Frank's blood work had come back with no problems so the Hardys saw no reason to not let him pitch. The team was in the dugout as it was the bottom of the first inning and Joe was glancing around a little nervously.

"Hey," Frank said as he hit his brother on the arm. "Loosen up."

"I'll try," Joe responded and made a conscious effort to take some deep breaths.

Phil sat next to Frank and put a bottle on the bench between them. "Here you go," he said without looking at the bottle or Frank.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Phil replied and then casually reached under the bench picked up the bottle that Frank had gotten from Maier. After a little talk, he got up from the bench and moved away. It was already planned that he would give the bottle to Callie who would give it to Fenton.

Joe had to work to NOT watch Phil walk away. He had to get over this preoccupation with the situation. There wasn't anything out of control. It was time for him to bat and with a backward glance to his brother who waved him away, he went out to the on-deck circle. Joe managed to get his mind clear and hit a single and made it to first base. Then it was all about keeping his head in the game and trusting his friends and family to keep Frank safe.

 _Top of the seventh with Bayport leading 4-2. Frank has struck out a player for the first out of the inning…_

At the end of the sixth inning, Frank had noticed Maier watching him closely. He made sure to take a big swallow from the bottle that he was drinking from. It looked exactly like the ones that Maier had been giving him, but these were ones that the Hardys had bought and had been swapping out to Frank. Now it was one out in the top of the seventh and in an unusual move, Maier went to the mound. The majority of the time, Coach Daimler was the one who made visits to the pitcher.

Seeing that Maier was headed to the mound, Joe had gone as well. It was common practice for the catcher to join in the conversation between coaches and pitchers. When Joe got there, Maier was already asking Frank how he felt.

"I feel fine, Mr. Maier. No problems this time," Frank said evenly.

"None of the light-headedness or headaches?" Maier asked in a concerned tone.

"None."

"That's good news isn't it, Mr. Maier?" Joe asked with a touch too much sarcasm.

Maier turned to look at Joe thoughtfully. "Yeah, it is, Joe. It's great news." Maier then cast a glance to the scoreboard and back to Frank. "Just let me know if you feel any of your previous symptoms starting up, Frank. It was around this time that they occurred in the previous incidents."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it," Frank responded nonchalantly.

Joe pulled his mask down and headed back to the plate. He didn't know how Frank always managed to stay so cool. He wanted to do nothing more than just put their suspicions out there right on the field. He shook his head at himself. THAT would have been incredibly stupid. He smiled to himself. Maybe he was getting over that impulsive streak he had.

 _Top of the eighth as Bayport is getting ready to take the field with the score 5-2 and Bayport winning…_

Maier didn't seem overly nervous but his demeanor still wasn't his regular persona as he talked to Frank in the dugout before the team headed out.

"You're sure you're fine. No headaches or anything."

"None," Frank said, very aware of Maier's searching gaze.

Maier walked over to the cooler and pulled out a bottle with Frank's name on it. Walking back over to Frank, he handed it to him and said, "Make sure you stay hydrated."

Frank looked from the bottle to the field and said, "I'll be sure to have some when I get off the field." After sitting the bottle on the nearby bench, he headed out of the dugout. He grabbed Joe's arm as he went, pulling his brother along with him. He could almost feel the anger radiating off of Joe. "We can't say anything yet, Joe."

Joe glanced over his shoulder to the dugout. "Just watch out, Frank."

Frank clapped Joe on the back and headed to the mound.

Bayport won the game 5-2 and Frank pitched a complete game. He had no problems whatsoever. As the group of friends gathered at Prito's later in the evening, Frank related Maier's comments to the group.

"Definitely sounds suspicious," Tony said as he sat with the group. Tonight he was just a customer. "He acted suspicious too. Everything seemed normal and then at the sixth inning he started pacing."

Joe nodded. "Makes sense. Frank usually started showing some symptoms by the fifth or sixth inning. Since he wasn't-"

"Maier started worrying," Iola finished.

"Maybe we'll get some answers when your dad gets everything tested," Phil said.

"Yeah, but this is just a high school game. Why is he tampering with the game?" Chet asked.

"Is it the game or is he just tampering with Frank since none of the other pitchers have been affected?" Joe posed to the group.

"Maybe dad will have something," Frank finally said when no one came up with an answer.

.**********.

That evening when they returned home, Fenton and Laura were waiting for them in the kitchen. Four bottles of the vitamin drink that Frank was given were on the counter. Fenton had his arms crossed as he looked at the boys. "The bottles have been tampered with." The boys were unsurprised. "There is a very small hole in the bottle neck close to the threads."

"A syringe?" Frank asked.

"Probably. You wouldn't even notice it unless you were looking for it. Any drips would be small and you'd probably just think it was condensation as the drinks were cold."

"How long before we get the results back from the test?" Joe inquired as he looked at the row of bottles.

"Your dad said it'll take a week. I wish is it were faster," Laura said as she joined Joe in staring at the offensive bottles.

It appeared that waiting was all they could do for a few days.

.**********.

Two hours later and Frank was lying in his bed wide awake. It was midnight and thoughts about what was in the bottle were running through his mind along with why Maier would want to do anything like that. Finally giving up, Frank sat up and threw back the covers. He was at the door that connected to Joe's room in just a few moments. Opening the door, he looked in to see his brother's bed was empty.

Frank moved on silent feet down the stairs to the kitchen; the most likely spot to find his brother. What he found stopped him in his tracks. Joe was sitting at the kitchen table with one of the tainted bottles in front of him. He was carefully turning it around and around as it sat on the table.

"What are you doing, Joe?" He wasn't thinking of drinking that was he?

Joe's posture stayed the same but his eyes shifted up to his brother. "Contemplating something rash."

"Joe, don't-" Frank began but was cut off by his brother.

"Don't worry, I was just contemplating," Joe said as he pushed the bottle away. "I may be impulsive, but I'm not stupid." Then he smiled, "Well if you throw out the month of December anyway."

Frank returned the smile. "Well, I believe the term you were so fond of was 'idiot.'" His smile slowly went away. "You wouldn't have tasted it, would you?"

Joe looked at his brother seriously. "I was just wondering if I would show the same effect as you if I drank it. But what would that really prove that testing the liquid wouldn't?" Joe's gaze dropped from Frank's eyes to the bottle and then returned to meet them. "Yeah, I thought about it. But back in December I did say I'd try not to do anything that stupid again. This is me trying."

Frank nodded as Joe stood up and put the bottle back where it had been.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters. OCs are mine.

 **Thanks to my Editor:** Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. The corrections were a bonus and not required when I asked for her assistance, so I take full blame for any typos. Thanks Wendylouwho10 for making my story better!

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Setting is AU. Frank is 18 and Joe is 17. Sequel to "Retribution." Timeline: (Younger Hardys) Cheaters Never Prosper, Fall Thievery, Valentine Dilemma, (16/17 year old Hardys) Taken, Recovery, (17/18) Retribution, and now Wild Pitch.

 **Author's Notes:** Just one chapter to go (after this one)! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

"I'm afraid that I don't have much of an answer for you, Frank," Fenton said Saturday evening. Frank had asked whether Maier was trying to alter the game or just going after him. "I can say that I don't think that it's you as in Frank Hardy, the son of Fenton Hardy. Obviously if he is doing something he has targeted you for a reason but I don't think it's because you're a Hardy."

"Then what?" Joe asked.

"I heard back this afternoon from my contact who knows someone in the Brewster Triple A organization. She told me that all she could get was that he left of his own accord. I've asked to her to follow up and see if there were any instances of players getting sick during ballgames. I've checked online and I only found one instance of a player getting ill during the game and having to leave."

"Was it a pitcher?" Frank asked.

"As a matter of fact, it was," Fenton replied.

The brothers looked at each other and then Frank looked back to his father. "Do you want Joe and I-"

"No," Fenton said firmly. "Just listen and observe." He pinned each of them with a stare as they both nodded.

But when the boys went up to their rooms, Frank came over to Joe's after changing.

"I'd like to look in Maier's office on Monday," Frank said.

Joe dropped on his bed as Frank stood in the bathroom door. "Dad said we were to 'listen and observe.'"

Frank shifted from one foot to the other. "Yeah, well, I don't consider just checking his office to be much of anything."

As Joe put his hands up behind his head, he smiled at his brother. "And here mom and dad think I'm the wild card." Seeing Frank's continued uneasiness, Joe said, "I'm in. How do you want to play it? Both of us checking out the office or just one of us?"

"I think it will be best for us both to go out to practice and then I'll come back in for something. You keep an eye on Maier and keep him from coming back in if he tries. I'll take my phone with me and take pictures of anything suspicious."

Joe thought for a moment and then said, "Sounds good except…"

"Dad. If we find anything, how do we tell him?" Frank said solemnly.

"We'll figure it out."

Frank nodded and left the room. Joe's tone had sounded confident, but Frank knew he wasn't. Joe had just gotten into a lot of trouble for going it alone in December. In fact, Joe had just recently referenced his attempts at caution because of those events. Frank knew he was treading a fine line. He and Joe were in this together and had each other's back. Dad might not see it that way, but that's how it was. _In two months, I'll be finished with high school and more independent. Joe's just a year behind me. I'll be attending Bayport College._ He stopped beside his bed. He was heading to Bayport College on a baseball scholarship. Could that be part of the reason that he was targeted? Something regarding Bayport's sports program? He'd have to check it out, but it was a long shot since Bayport wasn't a Division I school.

.**********.

The tension that the boys felt about the situation didn't lesson on Sunday. Brewster's team was out of town playing a team in PA and wouldn't be back until Monday night. Fenton would talk Tuesday with the player that had become ill during a game. During the day on Monday, he would talk to one of the managers that hadn't gone to the away games. Monday was also when the tainted beverage would be sent off for testing.

Fenton looked at his boys closely at the Sunday evening meal. They were a little subdued and he understood why. The truth seemed to be just out of reach and it would require patience to get what they needed. There was no doubt in his mind that they would find something, but gathering evidence was a process. While Frank and Joe had solved several cases on their own, they tended to take chances that teenage boys shouldn't take. He shook his head as he looked at them. Hopefully they would heed the warning he gave them but…. Fenton took in their quietness and began to worry.

.**********.

Monday afternoon Frank and Joe were ready. Frank was going to wear his cleats from the previous year that had become slightly uncomfortable. They were his back-up pair just in case. Today, though, he'd wear them out on the field and the lace that he had partially cut through would break, giving him a reason to go back into the school. His current cleats would be in his bag with one of them having a fresh, clean lace already in it. This would give him a chance to change shoes and then check out Maier's office.

Thirty minutes into practice, the lace broke as expected. Joe didn't even look over at his brother as he went to the coach to explain what happened.

Daimler looked at the shoe and said, "Go change out the lace and get back here as soon as you can."

"Yes, sir," Frank replied.

Maier walked over to Daimler and said, "What's up with Frank?"

"Broken lace. He should be back shortly."

Maier looked over and found Joe. Seeing that the younger Hardy was going through practice as normal, Maier decided not to worry.

.**********.

Frank finished lacing his cleat and put the older pair in the bottom of his bag. He grabbed his phone and headed towards the small office space that Maier called his own. Thankfully it was unlocked. The room wasn't much more than a student desk, chair, laptop dock, phone and file cabinet. The desk was checked and ruled out. Frank looked over the file cabinet. There was a key lock at the top. He pulled on a handle and found it locked. He really wanted to get into the cabinet but he knew that if he broke into it what he found wouldn't be admissible. With one last look around, Frank turned off the light and closed the door.

.**********.

Back on the field, Joe moved over to where Frank was. "Find anything?" Joe asked.

"Nothing that was obvious in his office. The file cabinet was locked. Could just be confidential medical forms," Frank said as he looked over which bat he wanted.

"Is that all you think it is?" Joe asked.

"I don't know," Frank responded with a shake of his head as he picked out a bat. "It would be stupid for him to keep the stuff on-campus."

Joe glanced over to where Daimler and Maier were in conversation. "Well, him drugging you is pretty stupid considering what our dad does for a living."

Frank smiled as he walked toward home plate to get in some batting practice.

.**********.

That night Fenton told them what he had found. "As you know, I spoke with one of the managers today." Fenton sat down on the couch in the living room where Frank and Joe were.

"And," Joe prompted.

"He said there wasn't anything that they could say that Maier had done that was wrong. A few players got sick, but only one got sick during a game."

"Collins. The guy you're going to talk to tomorrow," Frank said.

"Yes. Collins got sick during the game and had to come out. There was no evidence to say it was anything besides a migraine-type headache."

"So why did the manager even mention it?" Joe asked.

Fenton leaned back in his chair. "Because Collins has never had migraines before and he hasn't had any since."

Frank and Joe looked at each other and Frank said, "Was there anything important about the game he came out of?"

"Brewster should have won easily with Collins on the mound. He had won every game he had pitched against Salem last season to that point," Fenton reported.

"So, anyone betting on a win by Brewster…" Joe began.

"Would have been out of luck but more importantly, anyone betting on a win by Salem would have made more," Frank added. Then he frowned. "But that's Triple A. Why would he bother with high school and why me?"

"It's much less common for betting on high school games as it's illegal but it does happen. But I'm not sure that's what he's doing," Fenton said. "Frank is a well-known pitcher who wins most of his games and is going to play in college."

"Yeah, so?" Joe asked. "He can't think that he can alter Frank's scholarship now can he?"

Fenton shook his head and leaned forward. "No he can't and I don't think he wants to do that. I think he's perfecting a drug interaction."

"What?" Frank asked his father, uncertain where he was going.

"I didn't mention that Collins went out in the sixth inning he not only had a migraine, but intestinal trouble."

"I didn't have that," Frank said thankfully.

"No you didn't, and that makes me think that Maier might be trying to find a drug interaction that will take a pitcher out or alter his pitching enough to change the game."

Joe looked over at his brother. "If we hadn't gotten that runner out in your first game, we might not have won."

"Exactly," Fenton said.

"But how do we prove it?" Frank asked as he looked to his father.

"I'm going to call Coach Daimler tonight and talk with him. I think I have enough that he'll listen to me and we can keep an eye on him before the game tomorrow. If there is something in those drinks he's giving Frank, it would be best to catch him with it."

The three then began to devise a plan….

.**********.

 _Tuesday evening, game time…_

Tuesday evening was another home game for Bayport and Gavin Reading was once again pitching. This meant that Frank would pitch starting around the fifth or sixth inning. The boys were a little keyed up knowing that a number of things was going on behind the scenes that they couldn't participate in.

When Bayport took the field to start the game, Joe had scanned the crowd and saw Con Riley in the stands. He gave him the briefest of nods.

In the dugout, Phil switched out a drink for Frank. As the coach walked by Frank, he patted his jacket pocket. Fenton had asked Daimler to keep an eye on Maier and the drinks that the boys were given. He was to get one of the bottles before the cooler came out and to keep it with him.

Frank and Joe did their best to look like things were normal, but on the inside, they were wound tight. Joe had not been on his game but thankfully, he didn't make any errors. While Bayport was batting in the bottom of the fifth, Frank left the bullpen and came to the dugout.

"What's wrong, Frank?" Daimler asked and waved Maier over.

"I've got a headache behind my right eye and I don't feel so good," Frank responded as he put a hand to his head.

"Do you want to sit down?" Maier asked solicitously.

"No," Frank said as he frowned in feigned pain. "I think I'd rather lay down in the locker room."

"Well, I don't want you going by yourself. I'll get your father to go with you," Daimler said and pulled his phone from his pocket. Pressing the number for Fenton (he had all parents' numbers on his phone), he told him that Frank wanted to go into the locker room.

Fenton was there in less than a minute and he walked with Frank towards the school and the locker room.

As Joe was putting his catcher's gear back on, Maier walked over and said, "I'm sure Frank will be fine."

Putting his catcher's mask on top of his head, Joe replied nonchalantly, "Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine. My dad always finds out what's wrong." Then Joe pulled the mask down over his face and with his glove under his arm jogged out on the field. He could almost feel Maier watching him. When Joe looked back, it was to see Maier heading in the direction of the school and Con following at a respectful distance.

.**********.

When Maier entered the locker room, it was to find Frank laying down on one of the benches and Fenton nowhere in sight.

"Um, how are you doing, Frank?" he asked as he glanced around.

"Head still hurts."

"Where's your dad?"

Frank opened his eyes and looked around. "Huh. He was just here. I don't know where he went. Maybe to get me something for my head?"

"Maybe," Maier said as he looked around. "I'll be right back. I need to check on something." Maier headed towards his office. Fenton Hardy was a detective. He wouldn't be surprised to find the man in his office. When he reached the door, he tried it and found it to be unlocked, just as he left it. He opened it in a rush and found no one inside. Maier's eyes drifted to the file cabinet and then to the corridor. He heard nothing. Leaving the door slightly cracked so he could listen for footsteps, he moved to the file cabinet and tried the handle. It was locked. But Hardy was a detective. Didn't they carry lock pick sets all the time? _I'll just feel better if I see it's still there_ , Maier said to himself as he pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the cabinet. Opening the third drawer, he pulled out a small box and opened it.

"Well, what do we have here?" Con said from the doorway. Stepping inside, he looked into the box that Maier was holding tightly to him. "Looks like a syringe and some type of drug." His eyes went to Maier's face. "Want to tell me about it?"

"It's nothing," Maier said as he closed up the box.

"What's going on?" Daimler said from the door.

Maier's eyes opened wide in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, when one of my players is sick and then my trainer goes off to check on him, I get a little worried." Daimler looked to Riley. "Did I hear you say something about a drug?"

Con nodded to the box, "He has something in there."

"What is it, Bradford?" Daimler demanded.

For a moment Maier considered refusing, but then he handed Daimler the box.

Daimler looked from the bottle to Maier. "Is this what's been making Frank sick?"

"I'd rather not make any comments without my lawyer," Maier said.

"That's fine," Daimler said. "I'll just be interested to see if that drug matches anything in this bottle that has Frank's name on it."

Maier's eyes went wide once again.

"I got it from the cooler before you took it onto the field." Daimler held the bottle up. "You know, I found it interesting that my pocket was getting wet and then I discovered there's a small hole up near the cap. Wouldn't really notice it unless the bottle was in your pocket on its side. Then it kinda makes a mess."

"I want to talk to my lawyer," Maier said as he raised his chin.

"That's fine," Con said. "We'll just take you down to the station for some questions."

As they exited the office, they found Fenton and Frank in the hall. Con nodded to them as he went by with Maier. Daimler stopped beside the Hardys and told them what happened in the office.

Daimler shook his head. "To think he did this and I didn't know."

"Don't blame yourself, Coach. Who would have thought something like this would happen at Bayport High?" Frank said.

"Well, with you and your brother here, I should have been prepared," Daimler said with a smile.

Fenton clapped him on the back. "I'm afraid that I've learned you can never be completely prepared for the Hardy Boys."

"We better get back out to the game," Frank said. "I'm sure that Joe is about ready to just leave the field and come find out what's happening."

As the trio headed back toward the field, Fenton said, "Well, your brother needs to work on his patience."

Frank could only laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters. OCs are mine.

 **Thanks to my Editor:** Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. The corrections were a bonus and not required when I asked for her assistance, so I take full blame for any typos. Thanks Wendylouwho10 for making my story better!

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Setting is AU. Frank is 18 and Joe is 17. Sequel to "Retribution." Timeline: (Younger Hardys) Cheaters Never Prosper, Fall Thievery, Valentine Dilemma, (16/17 year old Hardys) Taken, Recovery, (17/18) Retribution, and now Wild Pitch.

 **Author's Notes:** Last chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Note about the next story at the end. :)

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

It was Thursday afternoon and Fenton was in his official office away from the house. He was seated in the conference room with FBI Agent Gilroy and an unknown agent. Fenton looked at Chris Gilroy and said, "You want to introduce me to your associate now, Chris?"

Gilroy looked from Fenton to the man in the seat next to him. "Fenton, I'd like to introduce you to Special Agent Keo Johnson."

"Agent Johnson," Fenton said as he looked at the African-American man sitting across from him. Johnson was only an inch or so shorter than Fenton and his age was uncertain as he had few facial wrinkles and his head was shaved bald. His brows were still dark however.

"Mr. Hardy," Johnson's voice was a warm baritone. "I wanted to meet with you along with someone in government service whom you were comfortable with." At Fenton's nod, he continued. "I'm with a governmental black ops organization."

"Do you need my services?" Fenton asked although he already had a suspicion it wasn't him that they wanted.

"Not at this particular time," Johnson said and with a quick glance at Gilroy, he continued, "I'd like to talk about your sons."

Fenton leaned back in his chair. "Frank won't graduate for over a month and Joe is a high school junior. What could you want to talk about?"

"That's just it, Mr. Hardy," Johnson said. "The organization that I'm with isn't a normal black ops group. We're affiliated with the NSA, FBI, and CIA but most of our work comes through the ATF."

Fenton sat forward. "Terrorism?"

"Among other things," Johnson replied non-pulsed.

"Why do you want to talk about my sons?"

"The abilities of your sons have been brought to my organization's attention." When Johnson saw that Fenton looked to Gilroy with a frown, he added, "Agent Gilroy did not contact us, but his reports made their way to us through a variety of channels."

"Reports." Fenton said. "Reports regarding Dominic and Marilyn Laird?"

Johnson nodded. "Your son Joe is of particular interest since his abilities for strategy and survival are already sharp. But Frank is also of interest. His skills of negotiation and diplomacy that he used with Rachel Rand were noted as well. The fact that he's lethal in a martial arts discipline is also highly regarded. Together they make a formidable team."

Fenton's tone was cool. "They're also teenagers."

Johnson didn't look away from Fenton. "As you said, Frank will graduate in less than two months."

"He's going to college and playing baseball," Fenton continued in the same vein.

"Ah, yes, baseball. I believe that the boys were instrumental in bringing the trainer of their high school baseball team to justice. Amazing what kind of drugs you can order off the internet now. Just shows how vigilant you have to be." Johnson let out a small laugh. "But the man must have been an idiot." Seeing Fenton bristle, he added, "An idiot to have messed with your sons and the obvious skills that they have. In addition, he was an idiot to have drugged the son of a well-known PI." When Fenton relaxed he continued. "I only want to talk to Frank. The work would be summer and mainly research or computer investigations during the school year. There would be some undercover work but we're very happy to have Frank continue his education."

"And Joe?"

Johnson inclined his head. "As you said, he's a junior."

"You wouldn't want Joe to do anything?" Fenton prodded.

"If there was a need we'd ask. The organization has a need for teenage operatives as sometimes even our youngest looking agents won't do. They don't look the part and that is just asking for problems."

"And asking a boy just out of high school to go into an undercover situation isn't asking for trouble?"

"Depends on the boy and the situation," Johnson responded calmly. "All we want to do right now is talk."

Fenton frowned and nodded. "I'll be in touch with Gilroy to set up a meeting. I don't suppose you'll tell me the name of your organization?"

Johnson hesitated for a moment and then said, "ORT."

"ORT?" Fenton asked in surprise.

"Operations Response Team."

"Not very original," Fenton said as he looked at Johnson.

"It gets the job done."

Fenton nodded and showed them out. Returning to his desk, he said down and leaned back. When the situation went down at Whitaker's State Park, Gilroy had told Fenton that Frank and Joe had drawn the attention of some people at the Bureau. He had thought it would just be regular FBI work which was dangerous enough in the field. But for it to be some type of black ops group? He already knew how the boys would respond. They would do whatever it took to bring down criminals. And Laura? She was going to hate it. But the choice wasn't his to make. Frank would have to make his own choice and hopefully Joe wouldn't get drawn in until after he graduated. He shook his head and groaned. Like that would ever happen.

.**********.

.**********.

 _This is the end of this story but..._

 _This chapter is a lead-in for the next story on my list where Frank goes undercover for ORT and Joe ends up on the mission as well. You might be thinking that this would be far-fetched for a storyline, but Casefiles and Undercover Brothers set up my idea for this with those series having the Network (Casefiles) and Undercover Brothers (ATAC). While I don't have a lot of background for either of those agencies, it's enough for me to use ORT in my AU storyline. And really, we all had to suspend disbelief a little while reading HB as those boys got into a whole lot of trouble that most parents would never have allowed. I know. That would have taken all the fun out of it. ;-) I don't have a timeline on when the next story will be out as I'm only on chapter eight and I know it will be at least 15 chapters. So this may take awhile. Thanks again for reading!_


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